MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 1,420 Shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 2.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 68,575 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,420 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club were worth $5,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the third quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 375.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $75.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BJ’s Wholesale Club from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $78.00 in a report on Monday, August 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.47, for a total transaction of $940,170.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 423,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,221,502.24. This trade represents a 2.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,734,820. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Price Performance

Shares of BJ opened at $96.30 on Friday. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.73 and a twelve month high of $99.91. The company has a market capitalization of $12.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.48 and a 200 day moving average of $86.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

About BJ’s Wholesale Club

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates warehouse clubs on the eastern half of the United States. It provides groceries, general merchandise, gasoline and other ancillary services, coupon books, and promotions. The company sells its products through the websites BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, and Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the mobile app.